


Every Masterpiece, I’d Write Again

by DC (UnknownUnseenUnheard), UnknownUnseenUnheard



Series: TimKonBart Week 2020 [4]
Category: DCU, Impulse (Comics), Red Robin (Comics), Superboy (Comics)
Genre: Angst and Fluff, Dick Grayson being the big brother extraordinaire, Established Relationship, Gen, Getting Back Together, M/M, Multi, Soulmate AU, breaking up, theres a happy ending I promise blease dont kill me, timkonbart week 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-22
Updated: 2020-07-22
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:21:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25444600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnknownUnseenUnheard/pseuds/DC, https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnknownUnseenUnheard/pseuds/UnknownUnseenUnheard
Summary: Tim and Kon are happy. They found each other, and they’re all the other needs, why would they want anything more?Then, the both of them get a second Soulmark, and things get... MessySequel to My Heart, To YouCan be read as a stand alone
Relationships: Bart Allen/Tim Drake/Kon-El | Conner Kent, Kon-El | Conner Kent & Roxy Leech, Tim Drake & Dick Grayson, Tim Drake/Kon-El | Conner Kent
Series: TimKonBart Week 2020 [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1837432
Comments: 12
Kudos: 104
Collections: Core Disaster Week 2020





	Every Masterpiece, I’d Write Again

**Author's Note:**

> Oh boy, this one got. Chaotic  
> Happy ending, I promise, but it does get angsty so fair warning -

Bartholomew Allen the Second did not know the world in the way, most people knew it.

To him, the world was all fun and laughs and video games, quiet literally. From Bart's perspective, that was all of reality, all of creation. It was all he had ever known,

All he had ever known, except...

"The boy has soul marks. The boy has two sets of soul marks," one of the 'doctors' working on Bart's 'condition' told President Thawne.

Thaddeus Thawne, heir of the legacy of the Reverse-Flash graced down at the tube containing his own grandson in clear distaste. A part of him still could not believe that his own daughter would dare mate with one of the Allens, but Meloni had. Worse, she'd married him, the son of Barry Allen himself.

Utter sacrilege to their legacy, to their thousand year feud with the Allens.

Still, their union had given Thaddeus a weapon, a weapon he would use to fruition and use to make this world kneel, force it to submit under his heel

"What does it matter, what marks he has?" Thaddeus turned towards the doctor. "He won't be leaving this place alive. Keep him in the VR. Keep his mind running. Studdy him and his powers. This boy's strength..." Thaddeus walked forward, letting a single palm splay over the glass as he watched the physical incarnation of his daughters sing squirm, "he is the legacy of both the Thawne and Allen lines. I was his abilities replicated. An eternal, speedster army under my heel."

Then, the monster smiled.

* * *

Bart was flying.

Not metaphorically. Actually physically flying. He should be elated. He should be happy. To soar through the skies... Who wouldn't want that? To be as free as the wind itself.

Unfortunately, Bart could not adequately enjoy it, and the reason was rather simple, and blatantly obvious.

"Kill the airbender! Don't let him escape!"

Bart's glider did not leave room for much maneuverability, but it was still effective. The teen more, dodging out of the way as fire came blasting towards him,

The Fire Nation had come. They'd attacked, bringing fire and death and destruction and Bart wasn't sure how, but he'd been transported to the damn future _and everyone was dead_ and now he was being hunted down like an animal and-

Bart's glider was hit.

Bart screamed as he went down, erasing down into the grass, Bart rolled for a bit before standing, tossing his staff aside as fire rippled along it before turning, and letting out a gulp. There was a reason Bart had run.

One soldier, he could take. Two, three, four, he could take.

Fourteen on one were far too many.

The soldiers surrounded Bart, fire cackling at their fingertips. Bart slid a foot back, raising his hands before him. If he was going to go down, he was going to go down fighting.

Then... The earth shook, spikes blasting up. The soldiers scrambled, Then, beside Bart, a teenager wearing Earth Nation clothing just... landed out of nowhere, holding a bo staff, of all things.

The teen looked up at him and grinned.

"Hey! I'm Tim. That's Kon," Tim pointed at the Earthbender dancing between the Fire Nation Soldiers.

Tim brandished his staff.

"Let's make this a fair fight!"

Then, with a roar, the teen tossed himself into battle, and Bart could honestly say he was just a little bit in love with the guy.

* * *

Timothy Jackson Drake Wayne had, once upon a time, believed he had no soul mark. Had agonized over not having a soulmate because are you even human if you don't have a mark?

Then, one of his new brother's friends, a woman named Raven, had helped Tim see into alternate realities and dimensions, and Tim had _seen_.

He did have a soulmate.

A wonderful, amazing, beautiful, handsome, kind, himbo of a soulmate.

A soulmate whose soul was new, quiet literally.

Tim's soulmate was none other than the newly minted Superboy, who had been cloned from the fallen remains of Superman himself.

Raven's process had left Tim with dreams. Dreams he had apparently shared with Kon, of other lives. Dreams that had stopped the moment Kon had been created, achieved sentience, and escaped Cadmus.

Dreams that had just returned.

With a shake and a start, Tim awoke in a cold sweat.

What in the hell had he just dreamed?

What had that place?

And... Who was that boy?

* * *

It was a sunny, sunny day in Hawaii when Kon's quote unquote sister decided to shock the living hell out of him.

"Sb, why do you have tattoos on your legs? Wait. No. _How_ did you get tattoos on your legs?" Roxy's voice rang across the field.

"Huh?" Kon asked, turning his head. The teen of steel himself was hovering in mid air, legs crossed, locked in a meditative position. Around him floated a dozen objects, each kept hovering by his tactile telekinesis. If other versions of him could do this, why wouldn't he? "What tattoos? I don't have any tats, Roxy!"

Except the Robin symbol etched onto his heart, but Roxy did not need to know that. Kon had promised to keep that a secret, one that the world easily accepted.

Roxy pointed. "Your legs, Sb. Well. Thighs, more specifically. I may not have super vision, but I have eyes, you know."

Kon glanced down. He'd worn shorts today, choosing to go barefoot. Tactile telekinesis was one of those things that worked better with skin to skin contact and it's not like anything on the ground could hurt him.

Except, halfway through his workout, his shortly had driven up a bit, and sure enough-

Kon yelped, concentration breaking as he fell to the ground with a thud, the objects around him falling with him.

Then, scrambling and wide eyed, Kon pulled up on his short leg.

There it was, plain as day.

Etched on the underside of both of his thighs, a new symbol had formed. Twin lightning bolts, a mix of yellow and red, burned into his flesh. Kon was too busy pokings at it to notice Roxy walking up to him until she spoke, causing him to jump,

"Huh, well, I'II be damned. You do have a soulmate. weird that the mark is only showin' up now, though, but hey, maybe the whole clone thing delayed it a bit?"

There was absolutely no way Kon could answer that properly without giving away Tim, so he just nodded mutely, because what in the hell, did this mean he had another soulmate out there?

* * *

Bart Allen was the boy trapped in a video game.

Bart Allen was the boy trapped in dreams.

A thousand worlds and lives, passing before his eyes.

* * *

Thaddeus Thawne slammed a fist against the cool metal of the console in fury, spit escaping his lips as he glared around at the medical staff.

"What do you mean, the brat doesn't respond to stimuli?! We need to map out his brain to properly replicate his powers!"

The scientists exchanged looks.

"We know, sir, but it doesn't seem to have any affect," one of them said.

President Thawne resisted the urge to shoot her, but only just.

"Then why is he not responding!" Thawne spat.

The scientists exchanged more looks, and a few even glanced at Bart, The boy had changed over the last few months, rapidly aging at an accelerated fate.

"Inexplicably... He appears to be dreaming," one of the other scientists explained. "Nothing we try to stimulate takes his attention away from that."

President Thawne stared incredulously at the incompetent excuse for scientists he apparently had on payroll.

With a roar, Thawne ripped off a panel with his bare hands and tossed it, making them all jump.

"How is he having dreams if he has no lifely experiences to have them!" Thawne roared.

Not a one of them noticed as Bart's soulmarks, greyed out against his skin, glowed briefly with color for but a single moment.

* * *

Within her room at Titan's Tower, Raven said nothing as she examined the legs of both Superboy and Robin. She had known, of course, that the two were soulmates. She had seen Superboy clearly enough in the first vision she'd forced Robin into experiencing.

Raven looked up at the pair of them, a smile splayed across her lips,

"Congratulations, you both have a second soulmate, and it's the same one."

Both boys splattered.

"But how is that even possible?" Robin asked, confusion seeping out of him, despite the calm demeanor with which he asked the question.

Masks had very little effect on Empaths.

"Yeah, what Rob said," Superboy spoke, "Rob is the one for me, I don't want or need anyone else!"

Raven arched an eyebrow.

"A soulmate does not mean a 'romantic' bond. It can be a friendship. It can be your worst enemy."

Elsewhere, Superman and Lex Luthor both sneezed.

"Take his brother for example," Raven pointed at Robin, "Nightwing has four soulmates, they are not all romantic."

"Nightwing has what now?!" Robin exclaimed, evidently taken by surprise.

Raven's cheeks gained a barely noticeable red glow against her pale skin. "Ah, I had assumed you knew that," Raven said, then decided to merely continue on, "Marks have meaning. The ones you bear, however, have an... Odd energy."

"Odd like what?" Robin asked, suspicion clear in his voice.

This boy had found his soulmate, Raven realized, and was content with that. Anything that challenged that reality would be met with scorn, Raven realized with a pang. Still, she carried on. They had come to her for answers, and she would give them to them.

"Your soulmate is in pain. They are trapped and contained. They are also clearly a meta, because they are reaching out to you both, across time and space. I... I've never seen anything like it before," Raven admitted.

"Across time?" Robin repeated, incredulous.

"Hurt and trapped? We have to help him!" Superboy exclaimed at the same time.

Robin shot the boy a sharp look and Raven took a step back as she sensed an incoming storm, a thing even she, the daughter of an eternal interdimensional demon, did not want to deal with.

"I will leave you both to discuss this matter." Raven gave them the patented customer service smile, and got the hell out of there.

Even she did not want to deal with a couples' spat. For a moment, Raven felt sorry for the clearly, oblivious Superboy, but decided per serving her sanity was a greater endeavour.

* * *

Suddenly, Bart was in front of him, moving faster than his eyes could track. Hands latched onto his robes, the smaller man learning up towards him. "Marry me," Bart said, demanded really.

Kon froze.

"What?" He asked, because he couldn't have heard that right.

Not here, not now, surrounded by the dead and the dying.

Bart's face, filthy and smudged over with the after affect of getting too close to a frag grenade, glared at him. He was beaten. Blood dripped from a hash on his forehead. Like Kon, Bart's Jedi robes were ripped and burned in several places.

He was beautiful. And angry. And growling.

"Marry. Me." Bart demanded, shaking him insistently. "We've already broken every other Jedi rule, might as well break the big one too. **Marry. Me.** "

* * *

Kon awoke, body shaking, tears streaming down his face as the dream played out in his head, again and again.

Bart, covered it so ok and ash, covered in cuts and burns, the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, professing his love and affection to him while the world broke into chaos around them

Kon cried.

Cried, because he remembered, vividly.

Cried, because he had been in love.

Cried, because he was currently in love.

Cried, because loving Bart was as easy as breathing, despite never having physically meeting him, and that love made him feel like he was cheating on Trm.

And, in a way, he was.

Kon could no longer honestly say that his heart belonged to Tim Drake and Tim Drake along because that would be a blatant lie.

* * *

"He's not real, Kon!" Tim shouted.

"You don't know that!" Kon snarled right back. "You heard what Raven said! Bart is hurting. He's aching. And his soul is defending him the only way it knows how- _by drawing strength from us!_ "

"If you had listened to Raven," Tim said voice acidic," You'd know she said she'd never seen anything like this! How do you know this isn't some sort of a trick or a trap, huh?"

"BECAUSE I LOVE HIM!" Kon shouted, red in the face, and then froze entirely as he seemed to realize what exactly had escaped his lips.

Tim looked like he'd been punched in the gut.

No. Worse. He looked like Kon had taken his heart out and stomped on it. Which, to be fair, Kon might as well have. Tim tore his gaze away, a sharp gasp escaping his lips, his heart beating erratically.

At that moment, Kon didn't think he could possibly feel any worse. He was proven wrong less than a second later when Tim opened his mouth.

"You know, I don't know why I never expected this," Tim let out a hollow, broken laugh. "I was never good enough for anyone. Not my parents, not my teachers, not even Bruce who kinda just took me in because he had to, because he was going mad without a child to focus on." Tim turned, and looked directly at Kon, face now completely devoid of emotion. "Why did I ever delude myself into thinking I was good enough for you?

"Tim, that's not-." Kon said desperately, his own voice breaking as he took a step forward, reaching out a hand.

Tim backed away rapidly, refusing to look at him.

Kon froze.

Tim... Tim had never done that. Tim was not a tactile person by any means, but he loved being held. He loved being cuddled. Anytime they'd argue, Tim would sit in his lap afterwards, angry and stubbornly not looking at him and not talking to him, but there.

It was then that Kon realized how badly he'd really fucked up.

"I don't want to touch you right now," Tim said, voice calm and collective, betrayed only by the erratic beat of his heart, "I want you to go, please. I- I need time to think and I love you, and I can't think when I'm around you because all logic goes out the window and I-" Tim choked, voice coming to a stuttering stop.

Kon closed his eyes, pain rip piling through him. Taking a deep breath, Kon opened his eyes, and spoke, hoping to all that was holy that this wouldn't make things worse, but it needed to be said.

"Look. Tim, I... I love you. I need you to know that. I need you to know that nothing will ever, ever change that. You're all I need to be happy. I don't need anyone else in the world to feel complete."

"It didn't sound like it," Tim muttered, refusing to look at him, voice bitter and hurt.

Kon winced. He deserved that one.

"I love you... And I love him too," Kon confessed. Tim flinched. "I love him too, and... I'm not gonna lie to you, and say I love either of you more, because I don't. I love you both equally."

"You don't even know him," Tim's voice was a deadly whisper, one Kon only heard because he had super hearing.

"I know him in the same way I knew you," Kon corrected. "And... And I know he's in the same state I was in."

At that, Tim shot Kon an alarmed look, concerned overriding his hurt, "I know he's trapped and alone and hurting and these... Flashes of us and the dreams we share, they're the only thing keeping him sane, because they were the only thing that kept **me** sane at Cadmus. You kept me going. You kept them from breaking me into a good little weapon, and you didn't even know it."

Tim closed his eyes and, desperately trying to keep the tears back.

Kon was talking. Kon was explaining. But, all Tim could hear was those first few words, that thundered confession. Kon loved him, Tim knew, but, apparently, that was not good enough for Kon, no. He had to go and fall in love with a stranger too, and here he was, thinking a few pretty words would fix the wounds he'd inflected.

"Get the hell out," Tim whispered, voice harsh and angry.

"Tim-," Kon began.

Finally, _finally_ , Tim looked at him, really looked at him, and screamed, "GET OUT, GET OUT, GET OUT! I DON'T WANT YOU HERE, JUST LIKE SUPERMAN DIDN'T WANT YOU EITHER!"

Tim froze. Kon froze. Tim let out a horrified gasp, and reached out a hand to grasp at his soulmate, to desperately say he was sorry and he didn't mean it, not like that, but Kon was already gone in a burst of wind and speed, leaving Tim behind, with only tears and the broken remains of his relationship behind.

* * *

Dick Grayson eyed his little brother with suspicious eyes. Tim was sitting on top of the dino skeleton Bruce kept in the Batcave, dejectedly eating an entire tub of ice cream.

Dick's first instinct was to track down Superboy and beat him black and blue with his bare hands with the piece of Kryptonite Clark had entrusted him with in case of emergencies. The only thing that kept him from doing so was the realization that, if Tim was like this, the clone boy was probably in a similar state.

So, instead, Dick made his way up beside Tim. Slow, methodologically, giving the other boy plenty of time to notice him and leave if he so desired.

Tim stayed put.

Finally, Dick arrived, setting himself down besides Tim. Tim wasn't looking at him. He was still dejectedly chipping away at the ice cream. Dick glanced at the tub. Strawberry.

... Tim hated strawberry ice cream.

Kon was the one who liked that stuff, Dick knew from experience. Ah. So. It was definitely boy trouble then.

The two of them sat there silently for several moments. Then, finally, Tim spoke.

"I fucked it up," Tim spat, stabbing the ice cream, Most of it had already melted, and a bit of it splattered on Tim's cheek under the assault.

"I doubt it was that bad," Dick said gently, "Suberboy loves you."

"And I'm not good enough," Tim growled, stabbing the ice cream a bit more aggressively.

Dick frowned, placing a hand on Tim's shoulder and squeezing. "Come on, now. We both know that isn't true."

Tim ripped himself away from Dick's grip so violently that Dick was surprised he didn't fall. Dick let his hand drop, and met Tim's furious glare calmly.

"If it isn't true, why did **my fucking soulmate** fall in love with someone else!" Tim's voice cracked in the end, switching from angered roar to broken kitten.

Dick stared at him for several moments before growling, rising to his feet atop the dino skull. "I'm gonna kill him, I'm gonna kill him dead, screw the rules!" Dick hissed, leaping from the dinosaur, spinning midair, and landing on the ground in a crouch.

Nightwing stood to full height, a growl escaping his lips. That clone boy was gonna die. Slowly, painfully, for breaking his little brother's heart. with purpose, the vigilante walked forward, intent on distilling a proper dosage of justice.

"Dick, stop, you don't understand!"

Dick felt a tugging at his arm and looked down,

Tim had made his way down from the dinosaur. A bit slower than Dick had, sure, but let it never be said that any Robin was not quick on their feet.

"Let me explain," Tim insisted.

"He fell in love with someone else when he already has someone as perfect as you," Dick growled. No one dared make his little brother feel inferior. Absolutely no one. Elsewhere in an alternative fake timeline DC likes to pretend is canon, a cowl wearing Dick Grayson shuddered. "I'm going to beat him to a pulp. I'm gonna hurt him. I'm-."

"We have another soulmate!" Tim snapped, interrupting Dick's spiel. Dick froze. Tim let go of his arm and backed away slightly, tears forming in his eyes as he lifted his arms to hug himself. "Kon and I have a third soulmate."

"Wait, it's the same one for both of you?" Dick asked, eyebrows scrunched up. Tim's nod only left Dick more confused. "I- that's great, Timmy. That doesn't always happen."

Dick knew that from experience. He had four marks, embedded on his skin. His soulmates had one each, which did make things plenty awkward at first.

Tim, however, shook his head, making Dick frown.

"No, you don't understand. Last year when Raven... Helped me see my soul, she used a spell that made me and Kon share dreams, of our lives in alternate realities." Tim explained. Dick was staring at him patiently, giving Tim time to process. Tim let out a breath. "They stopped when Kon broke out of Cadmus, and started recently again."

Tim paused, catching his breath.

"Because of your third soulmate," Dick inferred.

Tim nodded. Then, taking another deep breath, the young Robin continued, "I was suspicious about the whole thing. Scratch that, we were both suspicious until Raven explained it, and Kon... Kon didn't fall in love with me in person. Not at first. He fell in love with the me from the dreams, and now..."

"He's in love with your third soulmate," Dick guessed.

Tim hissed, angry and furious, like a cat suddenly doused in cold water.

"He tried to explain it to me but I wouldn't hear it. I- I was just too hurt, I fucked it up! I'm disgusting, I'm awful, I-."

"Hey," Dick interrupted, walking up to his little brother and wrapping him in his arms, Tim cried, banging his head into Dick's shoulder as tears began to stream down his face. "You aren't disgusting or awful. Kon shouldn't have dropped something like that on you so suddenly. Relationships take effort on both of your parts, and-."

"I told him I didn't want him just like Superman didn't want him and to get the hell away from me," Tim interrupted.

Dick couldn't help it. His arms dropped of their own accord and he took a step back, staring at his little brother in shock.

Tim was still crying, silent tears falling down his cheeks. "I'm awful. I knew exactly what to say to hurt him the most, how to make him break, and I did it. You should have seen the look on his face, Dick. He hates me now, I just know that he hates me!" Tim cried out miserably, hiding his face in his hands as he began to sob.

Thousands of miles away, Kon had his head buried on a pillow, crying about how Tim now hated him and didn't want him anymore because he was that much of a fuck up while Roxy ran fingers through his hair and contemplated murder.

Roxy had been unaware that Superboy had been dating the newest ward of Batman, but now that she did know _she was going to personally tear the boy a new asshole._

Dick took a deep breath and took a step forward, bringing Tim back into his arms. Tim sobbed out, clutching at him desperately.

"I'm not gonna lie, Tim," Dick said, "What you said was... I think you crossed a line," Dick admitted, and Tim froze up in his embrace. "Kon crossed a line too- he dropped something that you weren't ready for, and didn't give you time to process. The thing is, though... He wasn't trying to hurt you, the way you wanted to hurt him."

Tim snarled, pulling himself out of Dick's arms and glaring at him.

"Well, he did hurt me! He hurt me a lot! I... I'm not good enough for him. He made that clear. He wants 'Bart' too, and we don't even know him!"

"I know," Dick said gently, calmly. "And I'm not denying that. Mistakes were made here. Lines were crossed. Nothing is going to get resolved if you both just sit there being gloomy instead of communicating,"

Tim sniffed.

"I doubt Kon is being gloomy. He's probably waiting for Bart. For a soulmate who won't use his deepest insecurity against him."

Kon was not, in fact, waiting for Bart, but had instead cried himself to sleep in Roxy's lap.

Dick placed a hand on Tim's shoulder again and squeezed. "Bart isn't just Kon's soulmate. He's yours too. Honestly, and this may come across as insensitive right now, but I'm kinda jealous."

"Why?" Tim asked, confused, "You have four?

"How did you- _Raven_ ," Dick let go of Tim, eyes narrowed.

"She assumed I already knew," Tim defended, because he did not want to get Raven in trouble.

"Hm," Dick shrugged before continuing, "I have four soulmates, They've only got one mark each."

"Oh," Tim said. Then, realization hit him like a batmobile, "OH."

"Exactly," Dick nodded, "It made things awkward. Not so much with Donna and Roy, because they're like siblings to me, but Wally and Kori? Oh boy, that was... That was messy."

Tim winced at that. Yeah, that definitely sounded messy.

"Enough about me, though," Dick waved a hand dismissively. "You have two soulmates. And, they're each other's soulmates too. Which means... You all fit together, one way or another!"

"It means I wasn't good enough, so, to offset the burden of giving someone as pure as Kon a soulmate like me, the Universe is giving him another one to make up for it," Tim corrected.

"Hey," Dick said, gripping both of Tim's shoulders firmly, "That is not what that means," Dick said firmly, "It means, the three of you complete each other. You're as much a part of it as they are, If anything, this means you're special, because this is something that's rare and unique."

Tim's tears had at long last run dry, and he looked up at Dick through red rimmed eyes.

"So, what you're saying is, I ruined the best thing to ever happen to me by being a selfish prick who didn't wanna share," Tim said, voice hollow and defeated.

"That is not what I said," Dick disagreed, "You and your soulmates belong together. It's up to the three of you to decide what that means, Whether that means staying as friends or becoming something more, that is up to you."

Tim stared at him for several moments before nodding. "I get it, then, I'll be the villain, because Kon hates me, and Bart will too, once he finds out what kind of person I am."

Dear god, it was like talking to a wall. Still, Dick Grayson had the patience of the saint. There was no other way he'd have survived as Bruce's protege so long otherwise.

"No," Dick shook his head, "because we are flying to Hawaii right now and you and Kon are going to talk this out."

"Ah, I see," Tim nodded, "But have you considered this?"

Then, Tim whacked Dick in the face and ran off before his brother could stop him. Like hell, Tim was going to talk to Kon. Not now, not ever. It would just lead to more-

Suddenly, Tim found himself hauled into a fireman's carry.

"Wha- Dick Grayson, put me down!" Tim cried, hitting and kicking.

Dick held him easily enough, turning and striding in the direction of the Bat Plane. "Time to go fix your relationship, little buddy! I'm not gonna let it crash and burn like mine, no siree!"

"DICK GRAYSON, I WILL END YOU!"

On the other side of the Batcave, Bruce had just entered, holding a cup of coffee. Uponing seeing his eldest dragging his Youngest out by force, Bruce promptly b liked and decided this was just not worth the effort this early in the morning and walked right out.

* * *

They should not have come here. Bart realized that now. Stupid, stupid, stupid! They should have listened to Tim, **stupid**!

Around them, Keyblade wielders were falling left and right, their forms scattering, hearts torn straight from their bodies, fluttering up into the sky towards the rapidly forming Kingdom Hearts above them.

Now...

"Kon!" Bart screamed.

The other gave him one last smile as his body broke apart in a burst of shimmering light. Kon's Keyblade fell to the ground in a clatter, the last part of him to remain behind as his heart ascended with the rest.

Behind him... Master Ira stood, gazing at Bart from that Unicorn shaped mask, eyes and face hidden, mouth pulled into a sneer, teeth barred like fangs,

The man looked like a wild animal, covered in the blood of children, so many children, dying all around them.

Tim was gone and Kon was gone and everyone around them was dying and this monster had helped start it.

With a roar, Bart picked up his own Keyblade from where it had fallen on the ground, stood up, and swung, ready to face death, because what was the point in living in a world where he'd gotten his closest friends killed?

* * *

Roxane Leech had been having a nice cup of tea outside when the booming sound of a plane was heard. Soon enough, she watched with narrowed eyes as the Bat Plane itself landed before the compound.

Beside her, Dubbilex eyed said plane in trepidation. "There are two life forms aboard, The younger is... Terrified of Superboy."

Roxy arched an eyebrow as she turned towards the DNAngel. "Oh, is he now? That's interesting," Roxy said, then cracked her knuckles. "Real intrestin'."

Dubbilex eyed her wearily, "We are not calling Knockout," Dubbilex said sternly.

Roxy shot him an innocent look.

"I would never," Roxy lied through her teeth. Then again, calling Knockout might be a bit… Overkill. She doubted even Robin and whoever the hell else was on that plane could survive the wrath of a pissed off Fury.

The pair of them watched as the plane's ramp opened, two familiar humans descending from it, for who would not recognize the world famous Nightwing and Robin without some random multiversal event randomly making everyone forget? (cough cough, Zero Hour, cough cough)

* * *

Bart Allen was no longer trapped.

Bart Allen was now free.

_And he was furious._

* * *

Tim was, admittedly, very scared. Dick had dragged him by force halfway around the world so he could make up with his boyfriend. Tim wasn't sure if he should be grateful for that, or pissed the hell off.

Regardless, Dick landed the Bat Plane in an open dirt courtyard, surrounded by old shacks that looked like an old camping site. Tim recognized the place well from pictures that had been excited shoved in his face. Kon called it 'the compound.'

His boyfriend owned property. In Hawaii.

... Ex-boyfriend, Tim mentally amended.

There was a blond girl and a gray skinned alien standing in front of the place. The girl had her arms crossed, and was glaring such daggers at them that Tim suspected the Bat Plane would be a pile of embers if the girl had been a meta. The alien beside her looked calm, but it was difficult to read the being's facial expressions.

"Let's go," Dick said, staring at Tim.

Tim squirmed a bit.

"What if he doesn't wanna see me?" Tim asked, genuinely terrified of the concept. He'd be able to move on, yes, but that wouldn't prevent the hollow ache held feel, always knowing that he'd fucked it up.

"You won't know unless you go out there," Dick admitted, causing Tim to shoot him a sharp look.

That had not been the answer he had been hoping for or expected, "He might reject you, Tim. He might tell you to get lost. Or... He might be happy to see you and welcome you with open arms. The thing is, if you don 't do this, you're always gonna wonder."

Tim gulped at that.

"Why can't I wait for him to come to me?"

"Because, you told him to get lost, not the other way around." Dick pointed out.

Ah. Good point. Fuck. Undoing his seat belts, Tim stood. Beside him, Dick did the same, and Tim couldn't help but smile.

Regardless of what happened here, he'd still have his big brother backing him up, and that had to count for something.

* * *

Batman's proteges were approaching. Arms crossed, Roxy glared daggers at the smaller one, Robin was definitely shorter than she expected, that was for sure. Nightwing, of course, was as dreamy as people said he was. Not that Roxy could currently enjoy the view, no.

She was too busy glaring at the smaller one, who paused before her.

"Unless you're here to grovel for forgiveness, you can get the hell out," Roxy stated bluntly. "You already broke SB's heart. Poor kid fell asleep crying in my lap."

Robin flinched at that. Good. He damn well should. Roxy couldn't see his eyes past that mask, but she hoped they were filled with pain and regret. How dare this little-

"Hey," Nightwing snapped, drawing Roxy's attention away from Robin. Tall, dark, and sexy was shooting her a glare. "Robin fucked up, yeah, but so did Superboy. We need to let them sort out their relationship themselves."

Roxy arched an eyebrow and opened her mouth to retaliate when Dubbilex put a hand on her shoulder. Roxy turned to look at him. "Nightwing is correct. This is between Kon-El, and Timothy," Dubbilex motioned towards Robin.

The bats spluttered.

"How do you know his name?" Nightwing demanded and Roxy could have sworn his mask gained narrowed eyes.

"Kon-El is... Mentally projects loudly in his sleep," Dubbilex admitted, before turning to look down at Robin. "This way, I will take you to him. He's... Resting, at the moment, so you will have to be patient."

With that, Dubbilex led Robin away, leaving Roxy with Nightwing.

"So," Roxy began awkwardly, "work out much?"

* * *

They could not contain him.

He was too fast, Too strong. Too powerful, too quick. He was... Surprisingly leaving no corpses in his wake, but, regardless, he could not be contained, and President Thawne was furious.

Currently, he was watching the carnage unfold via video camera while he spoke to his incompetent head of security via hologram.

"How did the child escape confinement!"

"He just... He vibrated out, sin. Nothing we use can hold him! He just keeps yelling!"

"If you can 't contain him, then **kill him!** " Thawne thundered.

The head security officer blinked, "But, sir, isn't he your gra-."

"If his body won't be useful, perhaps his corpse will!" Thawne interrupted, "Kill him, kill him, KILL HIM!"

Little did Thawne know, a strike team led by Iris West-Allen were breaking into the facility as they spoke, intent on rescuing her grandson.

* * *

Tim watched as Kon slept on. The teen of steel had few tracks burned down his face, tear tracks that Tim recognized well. He currently had some himself to match.

He'd taken off his mask the moment he'd entered the room, sitting across from Kon in a rocking chair Dubbilex had helpfully provided, waiting for the other boy to awake.

Tim wasn't sure who he was angrier at about this whole thing: at Kon, or himself.

Kon had fallen in love with someone else. That hurt, even if that someone else was their mutual soulmate.

And that was the kicker, wasn't it? A thing Tim had finally managed to come to and accept,

Bart wasn't a stranger. Yeah, Tim had never met him, but he _knew_ him. Knew Bart from the memories of a dozen different lifetimes, echoing across reality. He knew Bart like the back of his hand.

Tim loved him too, he realized, He just... He just hadn't wanted to admit it really. He'd met Bart's existence with suspicion. As a threat to his happiness. Tim was only glad that Bart, wherever he was, hadn't witnessed it himself.

Tim had been confused... And he'd taken that out on Kon, Kon had hurt him, and, damn it, Tim had wanted to hurt him right back And he had, Tim could see. He clearly had.

Then, Kon shifted in his sleep, turned directly towards Tim, and opened a single eye, slow and drowsed, staring directly at him.

* * *

Kon was still dreaming he realized, but this was a much happier dream. He'd dreamt of the Keyblade Graveyard again. Or, hell, maybe Bart had. Dying in these visions never felt fun.

Still, despite the blatant change in scenery, Kon knew he still had to be sleeping. Nothing else would explain Tim sitting across from him on Dubbilex's favorite rocking chair.

And... If this was a dream, Kon could indulge a bit. Lifting his arms towards the dream Tim, Kon concentrated. Dream Tim let out an adorable little yelp as Kon used his telekinesis to lift him, spin him around, and bring him into his open arms. Kon sighed, hugging the dream Tim, burying his face in Tim's hair.

Wow. The fake Tim even smelled like the real deal. Admittedly, the dream Tim's heart was beating a bit too erratically for comfort, but meh, Kon would take what he could get.

"Kon-," Dream Tim began,

"Shh," Kon shushed, closing his eyes, pulling his Robin in closer, "Let me have this, please?

" ... Have what?" Dream Tim asked.

Since it was a dream, Kon didn't see the point of lying.

"The illusion that you're real," he sighed. Well. Dreamily.

The fake Tim in his arms tensed before turning over in Kon's arms. Kon frowned, but opened his eyes to face him regardless. Steel grey eyes, with small specks of blue here and there, stared back at him. Those eyes, Kon could get lost in those eyes. Had gotten lost in them before.

Hand rising up, Kon caressed the Dream Tim's cheek. He felt so soft. So real. Kon almost wanted to believe, but he knew better. This wasn't Tim. Kon had tucked that up. He'd fucked it up royally.

Tim had asked him for space, and how had Kon responded?

By crowding him more and more trying to explain himself, trying to justify himself when the facts were plain and clear: Kon was in a relationship, and he'd fallen in love with someone else.

Tim had every right to be angry, to be hurt. Kon should have backed off. He hadn't. Now, it wouldn't matter if Bart showed up. Kon would love him, yes, but he'd always be missing a part of himself, because part of his heart would always, _always_ , belong to Timothy Jackson Drake-Wayne, and Kon had lost him through his own stupidity.

"Kon..." the Dream Tim spoke, lifting a hand, trailing it through his hair, Kon sighed, closing his eyes content. He'd always loved it when Tim trailed a hand through his hair. Tim's hand wandered to Kon's cheek, caressing it lightly, and Kon opened his eyes, happy and in love and-

"I'm real," Tim spoke, knocking every last thought of rest out of him. "I'm here, and I'm sorry."

Suddenly, Kon wasn't so asleep anymore as his eyes widened in both surprise, and then fear. Tim's grip on him tightened as he wrapped a leg around Kon's waist and then leaned forward, touching his forehead to Kon's.

"I am so, so sorry, I shouldn't have said what I said, and I- I fucking love you, okay? I love you so much. And, the idea of losing you... Maybe it's not healthy, but, when I think of that, all rational thought goes out the window and I know that isn't an excuse or a justification, but I am so, so sorry and I-."

Kon cupped Tm's face in his hands, causing the rambles to cease. Tim was looking straight at him, silent, heart beating a mile a minute.

He was real. He was real. _He was real._

Kon did the only logical thing. He leaned forward, intent clear, slowly. Tim's eyes dashed to Kon's mouth, an almost hungry look appearing in them. Then, Tim leaned forward, and Kon took the invitation, kissing the other boy with all that he had.

* * *

Roxy glanced in the direction of Kon's room. Etiquette had required that she invite Nightwing over for dinner, and the masked vigilante's eating habits made Kon look nice and proper.

"Should we go check on them? It's been an hour," Roxy spoke.

"I suggest not," Dubbilex replied. "They are as of this moment, making out like a pair of teenage boys."

Nightwing and Roxy both stared at him.

"First off," Roxy said, "It's creepy that you know that. Second, _they are teenage boys._ "

Nightwing, the traitor, just snorted. Roxy shot him a glare but, when she noticed the happy smile on his face, she couldn't help but join in. Not only was it a bit infectious, but it sounded like the boys were doing all right.

* * *

No matter where he looked, Bart could not find them.

He'd awoken, covered in so many different wires, attached to his skin and his flesh. Trapped, contained, _experimented on_. Bart had responded appropriately, broke his way out of confinement, and was now on the hunt.

On the hunt, for the two that mattered most to him, the two that he had seen in his visions, in his dreams.

Bart needed to find Tim and Kon, because then, everything would be alright. Everything would be okay. Everything would make more sense, because everything made more sense with them around.

Bart needed…

Bart needed them, he realized. He needed them because the world was confusing and it was bright and it was blinding and it moved so quick, and Kon and Tim were the only things that made sense to his mind. The only things that brought order to the chaos.

"Bart, sweetie!"

Bart turned his head. A woman his mind helpfully identified as 'grandma' was marching towards him, a rifle held in hand. Bart hissed, eyeing the thing wearily.

Noticing this, grandma tossed the gun aside without hesitation and opened her arms.

"My darling boy," she spoke, and Bart went dashing right into them, because she was the only thing in this twisted place that felt any level of right and Bart would take what he could get.

* * *

After several minutes of just enjoying and basking in Tim's presence, Kon leaned back. Tim's eyes fluttered open, looking at Kon is a daze.

"I'm sorry," Kon apologized. Tim looked confused for a bit, then offended as realization hit him. Tim opened his mouth to counter, but Kon lifted a single finger, pressing it to the other boy's lips. "Please, let me apologize properly first. Then, you can say whatever you want."

Tim shot him a squinty eyed look, but his lips remained firmly shut.

"You're all I need," Kon told him, "I don't need anyone else, and I want you to know that. Bart might be my soulmate, but so are you. I... I love him. I'm not gonna deny that, I'm not gonna lie to you. Loving him doesn't mean I love you any less, because you are enough for me and you always have been, and I'm sorry that I made you feel like you weren't. That's on me. That was my fault. And I'm sorry, and I love you and-"

Tim kissed him.

Kon kissed back with equal force, cradling Tim's body to his own, enjoying the warmth and heat of the other. A part of him still wondered if he was sleeping, because how could this be real when he'd fucked it up so bad? But, it was, and Kon was happy.

In the other room, Dubbilex felt like facepaliting. Two idiot boys, consistently convinced they were each solely responsible for destroying their relationship, apologizing again and again for it.

"These two boys are made for each other," Dubbilex spoke, taking a deep gulp from his drink. "I'm tempted to force them into a mind meld to get all their misunderstandings out of the way."

The other two in the room said nothing, but eyed the DNAngel a bit more wearily.

* * *

Months later, Tim Drake met Bart Allen on a school skiing trip, of all things, and barely resisted the urge to freak out.

Shortly after that, Kon-El met the great Impulse awhile on a quest with the Ravers, and the pair of them faced across the country side, Kon blatantly cheating with the assistance of his team.

Then, a deranged child with godlike powers splintered the world in two, and only Bart and his chaotic uncontrollable thought process, could stop him.

After that, Kon and Tim arranged a sleepover within the ruins of Mount Justice, intent on telling Bart the truth.

"All right!" Bart cheered as he settled his sleeping bag on the floor, "Sleepover with the Soulmates! Awesome!"

Kon and Tim both splattered, exchanging looks before turning back to Bart.

"You know?!" Kon demanded, arms crossed.

"And you didn't say anything?" Tim asked, incredulous.

Bart looked at them like they were stupid.

"I mean, I've got marks for both of you on my skin. Also, Kon, I like how your mark changed from a Superman symbol to Hawaiian tribal tattoos, iconic. That, and my entire childhood was spent seeing flashes of both of you from alternate dimensions," Bart said, "'course I recognised you guys! And, hey!" Bart pointed a finger at the two of them, "Neither of you ever mentioned it either."

Kon spluttered.

"We were about to!" the Kryptonian protested.

"He has a point, though," Tim said, playing Devil's Advocate.

Kon shot the boy a squinty eyed look and Tim whistled innocently.

Bart laughed, Then, speeding up, he planted a quick kiss on each of their cheeks, grinning as both of them blinked in surprise.

"I love you guys!" Bart told them proudly. "I'm so glad you're both my soulmates, I couldn't have gotten any luckier!"

Then, before either one of the blushing boys could say anything, Bart had zoomed into his sleeping bag, holding a Pikachu plushie, eyes firmly shut in sleep, leaving Robin and Superboy both frozen on the spot.

Tim turned to look at Kon.

"I... He's so pure, I fucking love him," Tim admitted.

Kon grinned, wrapping Tim in his arms and pulling him close.

"I love him too, same as I love you, Tim."

Tim signed, relaxing into the hug.

A few morels ago, those words would have brought him anguish. Now? Now, they just made him happy, because everything was alright in the world and Tim was content.

**Author's Note:**

> My [Tumblr](https://unknownunseenunheard.tumblr.com/)
> 
> I also made a [TimKonBart Discord](https://discord.gg/banUTj5) and a [Core Four Discord](https://discord.gg/zd4kdj2)


End file.
